After the big success of last year’s doubleheader at Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Cup Series is back for more as the series prepares for the Pocono Organics CBD 325 on Saturday, June 26 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio followed by Sunday’s (June 28) Explore The Pocono Mountains 350 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Opened in 1968 as a three-quarter-mile track, Pocono Raceway held the first race on the 2.5-mile track in 1971. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was on August 4, 1974, and the event was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty (Dodge, 115.593 mph).
The 2012 season marked the first year the NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono were scheduled for 400 miles. Prior to 2012, all NASCAR Cup Series races were 500 miles at Pocono Raceway. In total, there have been 86 NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, one race from 1974 through 1981, and two per year since. Last year marked the first season the NASCAR Cup Series held a doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway.
Pocono Raceway’s 86 NASCAR Cup Series races have produced 46 different poles winners and 38 different race winners. NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott and veteran Ken Schrader lead the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Pocono Raceway with five poles each.
The starting lineup for the first of the two Cup races this weekend was determined by Metric Qualifying and as a result Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Kyle Larson will start on the pole and his teammate William Byron will join him on the front row. Entry list and starting lineups for the second race of the weekend will be distributed following post-race inspection of the first race.
Starting Lineup Procedure For Race #2 at Pocono
Starting positions 1st -20th: The top 20 finishing vehicles from the 6/26/21 Pocono Raceway Event will have their final finishing positions inverted, regardless of laps completed, to be assigned their 6/27/21 starting position. The first-place vehicle from 6/26/21 will start 20th, the 2nd place vehicle will start 19th, and so on.
Starting Positions 21st – 40th: Vehicles finishing 21st –40th in the 6/26/21 Pocono Raceway Event will be assigned starting positions 21st – 40th in the same order as the final finishing results from 6/26/21 regardless of laps completed. The 21st place vehicle from 6/26/21 will start 21st, 22nd place vehicle will start 22nd, and so on.
Of Pocono Raceway’s 38 different NASCAR Cup Series winners, 10 are active this weekend. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon (1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012) and Denny Hamlin (2006 sweep, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2020) lead the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Pocono with six victories each.
In last season’s Pocono doubleheader, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick grabbed the win in Race #1 and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin won the Race #2.
Fab Four: Kyle Larson looks for fourth straight Cup win
Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Kyle Larson is surfing a three race consecutive wins streak into this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono Raceway looking to become just the ninth different driver in the Modern Era (1972-Present) to win four or more races consecutively and the 13th different driver to accomplish the feat all-time.
| Rank | Driver | No. | From | To |
| 1 | Richard Petty | 10 | 08/12/1967 | 10/01/1967 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 6 | 07/14/1971 | 08/08/1971 |
| 3 | Bobby Allison | 5 | 05/30/1971 | 06/23/1971 |
| 4 | Billy Wade | 4 | 07/10/1964 | 07/19/1964 |
| 5 | David Pearson | 4 | 04/03/1966 | 04/11/1966 |
| 6 | David Pearson | 4 | 05/05/1968 | 05/18/1968 |
| 7 | Cale Yarborough | 4 | 09/12/1976 | 10/03/1976 |
| 8 | Darrell Waltrip | 4 | 09/27/1981 | 11/01/1981 |
| 9 | Dale Earnhardt | 4 | 03/29/1987 | 04/26/1987 |
| 10 | Harry Gant | 4 | 09/01/1991 | 09/22/1991 |
| 11 | Bill Elliott | 4 | 03/01/1992 | 03/29/1992 |
| 12 | Mark Martin | 4 | 08/08/1993 | 09/05/1993 |
| 13 | Jeff Gordon | 4 | 07/26/1998 | 08/16/1998 |
| 14 | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 10/21/2007 | 11/11/2007 |
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty holds the all-time record for the most consecutive races won in the NASCAR Cup Series at 10 straight in 1967. Currently, only NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (10 consecutive wins in 1967 and six in 1971) and Bobby Allison (five consecutive wins in 1971) are the only two drivers all-time to win five or more consecutive races in the series. If Larson were to sweep the doubleheader this weekend at Pocono, he would become just the third driver in series history to win five consecutive races.
Larson has made 12 series starts at Pocono Raceway posting three top fives and six top 10s; including a best finish of runner-up in 2018. He did not compete in the doubleheader at Pocono last season but won at the 2.5-mile track in 2016 in the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series event.
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